Part 15-The Forest Revisited
The warm sunlight shone through the trees as the group walked through the tranquil forest whilst listening to the birdsong and leafy branches dancing in the wind around them. After another moment of silence, Mikey spoke up in a soft tone.
"Wow…you were right, Don…it is beautiful out here…!"
"See? I knew you'd like it…! A new change in scenery really does help in lifting our spirits up…!" Donnie replied with a warm smile as he wrapped his arm around Mikey's shoulders to give him a sideways hug.
"I'll admit dat it is different compared ta da noise in New York, but I can get used ta dis…!" Raph then said as he looked around the forest in front of him.
"Yeah, it does make a nice change from fightin' Purple Dragons and da Foot…" Casey said in agreement whilst walking with April by his side and holding her hand. Then, April stopped when she saw something ahead of them.
"Hey, Mikey…Look!" April called out quietly to Mikey as she pointed at something far away in front of her.
With help from Donnie, Mikey slowly walked towards where April was standing and followed the direction to where her finger was pointing. It was then that Mikey's eyes widened in surprise at what he saw; a female deer was grazing on the fresh green grass with her fawn doing the same next to her before the fawn nuzzled his mother's nose as soon as she was finished eating. This caused Mikey and the others to smile at the scene in front of them before he spoke in a whisper.
"Aww…that's so cute!"
He then took his shell cell out from his belt and used its camera to take a picture of the two woodland creatures after he switched the settings to silent mode to avoid scaring them away. Once the picture was taken, everyone around Mikey took a glance at the picture.
"Alright! Nice shot, bro!" Raph said quietly with a smirk.
"Yeah, it's a beautiful photo…" Leo said in agreement as he looked at the photograph in awe.
"I agree, and I'll bet you will produce a great painting from it too, Mikey…!" Donnie said with a warm smile.
"Ha, ha…Thanks, bros…!" Mikey said bashfully as he blushed from the nice compliments that he was receiving from his older brothers.
Suddenly, the two deer looked up when a rustling noise was heard coming from a large bush nearby, causing them to run away quickly.
"W-What's that…?" Mikey said nervously as he was worried about the possibility of more H.A.T.E. gang members secretly hiding within the forest.
"It's ok, Mikey…Stay behind me…" Donnie reassured him firmly but softly before he stood in front of his baby brother.
The others followed Donnie's lead with Casey shielding April before placing his hockey mask onto his face and grabbing his hockey stick from his bag whilst Leo and Raph stood next to Donnie and Casey and prepared their weapons for what might jump out and attack them.
Then, something big and green jumped out of the bush with a roar!
"Whoa! Watch out!" Leo called out before he and the others moved out of the creature's way.
When Mikey looked closer at the creature from a safe distance, his eyes widened; the large creature had green fur and emerald-coloured eyes, which he recognised as the 'Green Man of the woods' that he, Donnie, and Casey encountered a few years ago when they first arrived at Casey's farmhouse to help Leo recover from the Shredder's attack.
Mikey was then snapped out of his thoughts when he noticed that Leo and Raph were about to attack the creature.
"Bros, stop! Don't hurt it!" He shouted out, causing the two older brothers to stop in their tracks and look at him with surprised and confused looks on their faces.
"Why d'ya stop us, Mike!?" Raph questioned with an annoyed look.
"Yeah, that thing tried to attack us!" Leo then said firmly in agreement.
"Because, bros…that's the 'Green Man' that me, Donnie, and Casey met and helped ages ago…We told you about it, remember?" Mikey answered calmly.
Donnie and Casey looked at Mikey with wide eyes before they looked at the green creature again, and it was then that they realised he was right; it was the same 'Green Man' creature they met when they tried to help it from a monster hunter who tried to capture it in order to prove its existence as part of her documentary show. It also turned out in the end that the 'Green Man' was a female and mother with two little ones.
"Dat's right…it really is her…" Casey said softly in awe when he saw the creature's face.
"Her…?" Leo, Raph, and April said in unison with a confused look on their faces.
"Yes, we found out that the 'Green Man' was a 'Green Woman' as well as a mother to two younger ones…" Donnie answered with a warm smile before he scanned her whole body with his eyes. "She definitely looks a bit older than the last time we saw her judging by the number of grey hairs on her face and body…"
"Whoa…" Mikey said in a whisper before he decided to slowly walk towards her with the help of Donnie's bo staff alone.
"Hey there, girl…remember me?" He said softly as he slowly moved with his hand stretched out.
"Mikey, be careful…it's been a long time since she last saw you, remember?" Donnie reminded him whilst feeling concerned for his little brother's safety.
"I know…" Mikey replied after turning his head halfway to look at Donnie before he resumed with what he was currently doing.
The green creature began to feel wary and nervous as soon as Mikey got a bit closer to her, so Mikey stopped halfway after sensing her uneasiness before he spoke to her in a gentle tone.
"It's ok…we're friends…we helped save you from that mean hunter a long time ago, remember…?"
The green creature blinked and looked at Mikey when he said those words before she decided to move cautiously towards him. Mikey just stood there quietly with his arm stretched out and his eyes low to avoid scaring the creature away.
Once she was close enough, the green creature looked at Mikey before she sniffed his hand. Once she got his scent, she instantly recognised it and suddenly remembered the orange-banded turtle when he, with the help of Donnie and Casey, saved her and her children from the monster hunter long ago.
With this in mind, the green creature purred with joy and rubbed her head against Mikey's hand to show that she had recognised him, causing Mikey to gasp slightly and smile in relief whilst the others looked on in disbelief.
"Ha, ha! I'm so happy to see you again too!" Mikey said softly but joyfully as he began stroking the creature's fur as she moved around him in delight.
"No way…she remembers him!?" Casey said quietly in astonishment whilst looking at the scene in front of him.
"Well, Mikey has been known to have a way with animals…" Leo said with a warm and amused smile when he saw the surprised look on Casey's face.
"I agree, and it just shows that the bond between them is so strong that even the faintest memory can help them to remember each other…" Donnie said with a warm smile of his own whilst nodding in agreement with Leo's words.
It was then that the green creature had spotted the others and suddenly froze before she began to slightly feel uncomfortable again, which Mikey instantly noticed and spoke in a gentle tone once more.
"Hey, hey…it's ok, girl… they're our friends too…do you remember those two over there…? They helped in protecting you with me…" Mikey slowly pointed at Donnie and Casey as he said the last two sentences, making them nod in agreement with what he said.
With this in mind, Donnie was the first to start moving towards the duo at a very slow pace to reduce the risk of frightening the green creature. A moment later, Casey followed Donnie's lead and slowly made his way towards her.
"Hello, old friend…long time no see…" Donnie spoke out gently towards the green creature as he got closer to her with his hand stretched out in the same way that Mikey did earlier.
The green creature cautiously approached Donnie first and sniffed his outstretched hand. She instantly recognised his scent as well and began rubbing her head against his hand, causing Donnie to smile in relief and happiness.
"Hey, now…don't forget about me…!" Casey said softly and jokingly to the green creature who looked at him curiously before she approached him too.
After taking a good sniff of his scent, the green creature licked his hand and then jumped on him with joy.
"Whoa, hey! Ha, ha! Down, girl, down! Ha, ha ha ha!" Casey said as he was pinned down on the ground whilst being licked to death, causing everyone to watch on and laugh at the sight in front of them.
Then, Mikey heard another rustling sound coming from the same bush where the green creature appeared from, making him and the others feel nervous and cautious again. The green creature sensed their uneasiness instantly and turned away from Casey to make a chirping noise towards the bush.
Not long after doing that, the heads of two identical green creatures appeared from within the bush before they fully walked out from it whilst chirping back to their mother, surprising everyone when they saw them, especially Mikey who looked at the young green duo in surprise and awe.
"No way…" He said quietly in awe.
"Are those…" Casey said as he pointed at the duo.
"Yeah…They're her children…They seemed to have grown a lot since we last saw them…" Donnie answered as a proud smile slowly developed on his face when he saw how big they've grown since he and the others last saw them a few years ago.
The two green youngsters nervously approached Mikey first as their mother gently encouraged them to come closer. Sensing this, Mikey slowly raised his hand as he spoke in a soft gentle tone.
"Hey, there…nice to see that you're both doing ok…"
The two young creatures looked at each other and then looked at Mikey again before they approached cautiously since they were still feeling a bit nervous around him. Once they got close enough to their liking, the creatures sniffed Mikey's hand to get his scent.
Then, the creatures purred and did what their mother did earlier which was rubbing their heads against Mikey's hands before they got closer to Mikey and nuzzled him on his body, causing the orange-banded turtle to giggle and smile even more and the others to watch on in awe.
"Aww…That's so sweet…!" April said quietly and softly with both hands placed over her heart.
"Yeah…I never thought that they would recognise Mikey straight away since the last time they met him was when they only saw him from a far distance in the forest…" Donnie explained as he watched his brother continuously petting the young creatures.
Whilst the two children continued to happily greet the two turtles, they noticed the white bandage on Mikey's leg and whimpered with worry for him, which Mikey noticed straight away.
"Hey, don't worry; I'm ok…it's just a little sore, that's all…" He said reassuringly, making the young creatures feel more at ease.
"That's right, some bad people approached us yesterday and they hurt him…but he's doing fine now…" Donnie explained softly, making the green family feel less tense.
The green mother then walked over to Mikey and gently tugged on his mask tails before walking forward a few steps and looking back at him with a purr, as if she was wanting him to follow her somewhere.
"What's she doing?" Leo questioned curiously.
"I think she wants us to follow her somewhere…Not sure where, though…" Mikey theorised.
"Well then, let's follow her and see what she wants to show us…" Leo said with a nod.
After everyone agreed to Leo's words, they followed the green creatures to wherever they were taking them to, which was in the deepest parts of the forest.
/
Unknown…
The group soon arrived at an unfamiliar area of the forest, where they came across a wall covered in hanging vines and weeping willow branches.
The green creatures then moved towards it and surprised everyone when they walked through the vines and branches before disappearing, but one of the younger creatures popped its head out and called the others to follow them in.
Everyone looked at each other before they nodded and Mikey slowly took point as they followed the green creatures through the draped plants and into unknown territory.
Once everyone was through and looked on ahead, they froze and their eyes widened in surprise; in front of them was a large garden with a variety of different flowers, a couple of fruit trees, and a huge waterfall that poured water down into a wide river which flowed through to the other side of the forest.
"Wow…" They all said in awe.
"It's beautiful…" April then said as she admired the scene in front of her whilst Casey just nodded with a hum since he was too awestruck at the scene to say anything.
"Yeah…I have never seen such a magnificent place that is so full of nature…" Donnie said whilst looking around from where he was standing.
"You're telling me…It's like…a secret paradise…" Leo said contently as he continued to admire the scenery.
"Ya got dat right, bro…" Raph said in agreement.
"So, this is your home?" Mikey asked the green mother softly as he walked a bit closer to her.
The green mother nodded with a purr before she walked over to one of the fruit trees, stood up, and placed her large paws onto the tree. Everyone watched as she shook the tree and over a dozen apples fell from the tree, and then she used her nose to roll one of them towards Mikey who used Donnie's bo staff as he slowly and carefully knelt down to pick it up due to his sore leg.
"For me? Thank you…!" He said with a grateful smile before the younger green creatures followed their mother's lead and rolled apples towards Mikey's brothers, April, and Casey who all picked them up and said 'thank you' to them too.
Mikey then took a small bite out of his apple after giving it a quick wipe to remove any particles of dirt and grass that might be stuck to it. After tasting it, his eyes widened in delight at the sweet flavour and crunchy texture.
"Mmm…This is delicious! You gotta try them, you guys…!" He said happily to the others, who looked at him and then at each other with questionable looks before they each took a small bite out of their own apples.
A moment later, Mikey and the green creatures watched as his brothers, April, and Casey began to make 'Mmm' noises and comments on how tasty the apples were.
"Hey, he's right! These are delicious!" Leo said with a surprised look on his face.
"Yeah, these are the sweetest apples that we've ever tasted!" April said in agreement.
"Mmm-hmm, they have the same level of sweetness as Halloween's candy apples!" Donnie said in satisfaction to the apple's flavour.
"Totally agree with ya on dat, Donnie!" Raph said before he continued with eating his apple.
As soon as everyone finished eating their apples, Mikey walked over to the leftover apples on the ground to pick one up before he spoke.
"I think Master Splinter might like one of these apples too…don't you think so, guys?"
"Yeah, that's a great idea, Mikey!" Leo answered in agreement.
"Agreed…I'm sure that he'll love it since it's both a sweet and healthy treat, and we all know how much our father cares about treating our bodies like temples…" Donnie said with a nod and an amused smile.
Everyone laughed at Donnie's words before Mikey placed the apple in a bag to keep it fresh and in one piece for Master Splinter, and then they followed the green creatures towards a grassy area near the river before they all sat down to enjoy a bit of relaxation from their walk whilst listening to the flowing river and bird songs.
A few minutes later, the sounds of a sleeping turtle were heard and everyone looked to their right to see Mikey fast asleep with his upper body laying on the side of the older green creature who was also taking a nap, causing everyone to smile warmly at the sight.
"Man, he's really out like a light…" Raph said with a warm smirk.
"Yeah, I think walking with an injured leg and being excited from seeing the green creatures again has really taken a lot out of him…" Donnie explained as he watched his immediate little brother sleep with a warm smile of his own.
"You're right, Donnie…even the brightest of lights needs its rest…let's let him sleep and get his strength back…" Leo said in agreement with Donnie's words before he stood up and walked towards the river.
As he got to the edge of the river to admire how clear it was, Raph began to feel mischievous again and slowly started to sneak towards his oldest brother from behind with the others watching nervously and debating whether or not they should warn Leo on what Raph was up to.
However, unbeknownst to Raph, Leo had already sensed a presence coming closer to him so he stayed casual for now by moving his foot around in the water. Once Raph was close enough, Leo turned around and kicked his foot out of the water which caused some of it to splash on his red-banded brother's face.
"Whoa! Hey!" Raph shouted out in surprise before he glared at his brother, who smiled in amusement as he spoke.
"Ha, ha! Got you this time, Raph!"
Donnie, April, and Casey laughed at the scene which caused Raph to feel embarrassed and look at Leo with a ticked-off expression on his face before he charged towards Leo who instantly took off as soon as he saw him coming.
"I'm gonna get ya fa dat, Leo!" Raph shouted out with a hidden smirk of amusement on his face.
"Catch me if you can, hothead!" Leo called back with a cheeky smile.
Donnie, April, and Casey laughed again as they watched the two older turtles run around like crazy, but not too loudly since Mikey was still asleep.
Sometime later, Leo and Raph had stopped their chase and were now chilling and chatting to one another on the grass with Casey and the mother green creature, whilst Mikey had awakened from his nap and had joined Donnie and April in an exploration of the area itself with the younger green creatures.
Then, Leo looked up at the sky when he noticed the colour had changed from sky blue to warm orange, meaning that the sun was starting to go down.
"Looks like it's starting to get late…we should get ready to go back to our campsite soon..." He said as he looked back at Raph and Casey, who both looked at the sky to see for themselves.
"Ya right, bro…we should let the others know that too…" Raph said with a nod before he, Leo, and Casey looked over to where the river was to see Donnie, Mikey, and April walking towards them with the younger green creatures next to them.
"Ah, perfect timin'!" Casey commented with a smirk before he watched as Leo stood up and took a few steps forward to Mikey's group when they got closer to him and spoke.
"Hey, guys, it's time for us to go back to our campsite now…"
"Aww, already…?" Mikey said in shock and disappointment when he heard that it was time to leave.
"Sorry, bro…but da sun's goin' down so we have ta go back before it gets dark…" Raph said with a sad smile as he got closer to Mikey's group.
"Hmm, you're right; the sky is starting to get darker…let's start making a move back to our camp whilst there is still light out…" Donnie said as he looked up at the sky to see for himself that the sun was slowly starting to set, making everyone nod sadly in agreement.
Sensing that their friends were about to leave, the green creature trio gathered around and looked at them with sad looks on their faces.
"Oh, come on, you guys…don't look at us like that…! You're gonna…make me…cry…" Mikey said before he choked a sob and covered his eyes with one hand to hide his developing tears from everyone.
"I'm sorry…I wish we could stay here a bit longer, but we can't…it's too dangerous to be out in the woods at night…" Leo said with a sad smile as he wrapped an arm around his baby brother's shoulders to give him a comforting sideways hug.
"He's right; if it gets dark before we get back to our campsite, there is a chance that we might get ambushed unexpectedly from the shadows by unknown enemies…" Donnie explained.
"Yes, and besides…we need to keep you and this beautiful place a secret from anyone who might be living near the forest…" April said in agreement.
Knowing that they couldn't change their friends' minds, the green creatures looked at each other and then looked back at the group to give them a nod in understanding, much to everyone's relief.
"And, hey…dis ain't goodbye forever…! We'll be back again ta visit sometime…" Casey piped up in a more cheerful mood.
"Heh, never thought I'd say dis…but ya right, bonehead…" Raph said with a cheeky smirk.
"Hey! I can be right, sometimes…!" Casey countered back with a glare, causing everyone to laugh at the scene, especially Mikey who started to feel a little better after realising that they will get to see the green creatures again in the future.
"Are you alright, Mikey?" Leo asked softly after noticing that Mikey had stopped crying a moment ago.
"Y-Yeah…" Mikey answered with a sniffle before he slowly walked over to the green creatures and placed a hand on the side of the mother creature's face as he spoke.
"I'm really happy to have seen you guys again…We'll all get together again the next time we come here…so, don't worry, ok?"
The green creatures cooed in response to Mikey's words and the mother purred as she affectionately rubbed her face against Mikey's hand, and the younger creatures then began to give Mikey some affection by rubbing their bodies against his own whilst minding his injured leg.
"Aww...That's so sweet...!" April said when she felt a warm feeling in her heart whilst watching the scene in front of her, with the others humming in agreement next to her.
A minute later, Mikey looked at the others and signalled them a nod to say that he was ready to go, so Leo led the group towards him before they all headed for the exit. The green creature family followed them from behind until they reached the opening, where Mikey turned around to look at them one more time and spoke.
"Goodbye, green dudes…We'll see you around…!"
"Yeah, take care of yourselves…!" Leo said next before the others said their farewells afterward.
The green creature family nodded in understanding with a purr before they watched as Mikey, his brothers, and human friends waved goodbye before they exited the secret paradise through the curtain of vines and disappeared into the forest to head back to their camp.
/
15 minutes later…
The group was able to return to their campsite without running into any problems just as the sun had completely set and the stars were starting to appear in the sky.
However, Mikey had to be carried bridal-style by Raph halfway during their walk through the forest, because Mikey stopped walking due to a shooting pain that he suddenly felt in his injured leg, which could only mean that the pain medication had worn off.
As soon as they reached their camp, Raph lowered his brother down on one of the camping chairs and stood aside to allow Donnie to assess the wound for any changes.
"Thanks, Raph…" Mikey said to Raph as he looked at him with a pained but grateful smile.
"No problem, bro…we can't have ya walkin' on a bad leg now, can we?" Raph replied with a nod and a slightly concerned look on his face when he saw the pain in his baby brother's face.
"How does it look, Donnie?" Leo asked in his worried-big-brother voice as he observed Donnie who was still checking Mikey's leg.
"He's going to be fine, Leo…the stitches are still holding the wound together nicely and there are no signs of infection so far…" Donnie answered reassuringly to his oldest brother whilst double-checking the wound before he looked up to Mikey to speak to him next.
"How's the pain right now, Mikey? And be honest with your answer, please…"
Donnie had to be slightly firmer with his words on the last sentence because he and his older brothers knew how hard Mikey would try to keep most of his pain hidden from them whenever he had a serious injury.
"Well, it hurts more when I walk on it, but it's gone from that to a little sore now cos I'm sitting down…" Mikey explained as best as he could without making eye contact with his immediate older brother.
"Ok…I'll give you some more painkillers before we go to bed after we have finished dinner…"
"Speakin' of which, what are we havin' fa dinner tonight again?" Raph asked with arms crossed.
"We can have either burgers or hotdogs…It's up to you, guys…" April answered as she looked through the food box.
"I vote fa da burgers!" Casey said instantly with a hand up in the air.
"Me, too!" Raph then said in agreement with Casey's choice.
"Sounds good, you ok with that, Leo?" Donnie said.
"It's fine by me…how about you, Mikey?" Leo replied in agreement before he looked at Mikey as he said the last part.
"Yeah, definitely!" Mikey answered beamingly.
"Ok, burgers it is!" April said before she got the pack of burgers out of the food box and put them on the camping grill.
"Oh, and one more thing…" April then said as she suddenly remembered something that she and the others were planning to do after dinner. She reached into the food box again and lifted a big bag of…
"Marshmallows!" Everyone cheered when they saw what was in the bag.
"That's right…! We can have them for dessert after dinner!" April answered with a big smile on her face before she put the bag back into the food box and resumed on the task of cooking the burgers.
"I'll help prepare the burger buns for you, April…" Leo offered as he walked over to the food box and took out the pack of burger buns to start cutting them in half.
Around 10 minutes went by and the burgers were ready to be transferred onto the burger buns and ready to be eaten. April and Leo passed everyone a plate with one burger each and a side of sliced cheese as an optional topping, and then they all began to eat their meals.
"Mmmm…dis is so good!" Raph said in satisfaction before he took another bite of his burger.
"Yeah! Great job, April!" Casey said in agreement as he gave his wife a grateful smile before he too took another bite from his own burger.
"Thanks, guys…!" April replied happily, and she was about to take another bite out of her own burger when she noticed that Mikey was slowly eating his whilst wearing a zoned-out look on his face.
"Mikey, what's wrong?" She asked gently to avoid startling the orange-banded turtle.
"Huh? Oh, sorry, April…Did you ask me something?" Mikey said after he snapped out of his thoughts.
"You looked deep in thought a second ago, Mikey…Are you ok?" April said with slight concern in her voice, causing the others to look at Mikey in concern as well.
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine and the burger's great…! It's just…it's hard to believe that we saw the green creatures again after so long…" Mikey answered with a small smile.
"Yeah, and they've grown and changed a lot since we first met them…" Casey replied in agreement.
"I hear you…I have always wondered how they were doing since we last saw them in the forest after we first arrived here when Leo got-"
"Err, let's not go too deep into that memory, Donnie…I wanna try and keep things positive and not remind ourselves of…you know…" Mikey immediately cut Donnie off as soon as he was about to mention Leo's fight for his life after he got badly hurt by the Shredder and the Foot clan.
"Hey, it's fine, Mikey…I've moved on from that near-death experience, and the Shredder is not around anymore…so, don't worry about it, ok…?" Leo said reassuringly before he took another sip of his drink.
Mikey said nothing and just hummed and nodded to say that he wouldn't worry anymore, and then he heard April speak as he took another bite of his burger.
"I still can't believe the secret forest garden that the creatures guided us to…It was incredible!"
"Yeah, and those apples dat they gave us were really tasty!" Casey said as he thought about the apples that the green creatures gave the group.
"You do know that we have to keep that place a secret from now on…" Donnie reminded in a serious tone.
"We know, Donnie…we won't tell anyone about it…we made a promise, remember?" Leo replied in a similar tone.
"Ah, don't get your mask tails in a twist over dis, cos we know what we're doin'…!" Raph stated firmly to the two brothers, surprising them as a result.
"Yeah…You're right, Raph…Sorry for not believing in all of us…" Donnie said with a sheepish smile.
"It's all good, Donnie…! Now, how about we get started with roasting some marshmallows, eh?" Mikey said with an excited smile after finishing the rest of his burger.
"Ha, ha…sure, Mikey, but let's wait until everyone else has finished their food before we do that, ok?" April said softly.
"Oh, right! Heh, heh…sorry…" Mikey replied apologetically, which everyone responded to by giggling softly and Raph giving him a gentle noogie on his head.
Mikey didn't have to wait long, however, because the others had finished eating their burgers a few minutes later and they were now ready for dessert; the roasted marshmallows.
The campfire was made after Leo and Raph gathered some firewood from the collected pile and Donnie lit it using a match whilst Mikey helped April and Casey with putting the marshmallows onto the skewer sticks.
Soon, everything was ready for marshmallow-roasting and everyone took their seats before Casey walked over to give them a skewer with two big marshmallows each for the first round.
"Alright, everyone, let's get started!" April announced as a signal to start the marshmallow-roasting.
"Yeah!" The boys cheered to April's words before they hovered their marshmallows over the warm burning fire and waited until they had changed from white to a golden brown colour.
/
A couple of minutes later…
"Mmmm, Mmm! Ya gotta admit; marshmallows taste even better when they're fired up!" Casey said in satisfaction as he took another bite of his now mushy and warm marshmallows.
"Totally!" Mikey replied in agreement before he took another bite of his marshmallows, which caused a sticky mess around his mouth.
"Careful, Mikey…! You're going to make a mess, and we don't want your jacket to get ruined now, do we!?" Donnie said firmly but softly as he handed Mikey a napkin to wipe the gooey mess off his mouth.
"Err, right…Sorry…" Mikey replied sheepishly before he took the napkin and wiped his face clean before it could get onto his jacket.
"Hey, go easy on him, Donnie…!" Casey said with a firm look on his face.
"Yeah, he's just enjoyin' somethin' dat he wasn't able ta do since day one of our campin' trip! Besides, he knows what he's doin' cos he's a big boy too, ya know…!" Raph said firmly in agreement.
"I know, I know…" Donnie said in an almost defeated tone.
"Guys, calm down! It's fine…This is our last night of camping together, so please don't start fighting over something minor…!" Mikey said firmly but softly to try and keep a fight from breaking out.
Everyone froze and looked at Mikey with stunned looks on their faces before Raph, Donnie, and Casey lowered their heads down in shame.
"Ah, geez…sorry, bro…", "Yeah…sorry, man…" Raph and Casey apologised whilst looking at Mikey sadly.
"I'm sorry too, Mikey…I never should have gotten so paranoid over something so ridiculous…" Donnie apologised next as he placed a hand on Mikey's shoulder.
"Don't worry about it, guys…! All that matters is that we've learned from our mistakes and then carry on having fun afterward…" Mikey replied with a warm smile.
"Those are wise words, Mikey…" Leo said proudly with a nod.
"That's right, so let's continue with the roasting of our marshmallows and enjoy the rest of our last night of camping together!" April said as she raised her marshmallow skewer into the air.
"Here, here!" The boys cheered in agreement as they too raised their marshmallow skewers into the air before they carried on roasting and eating them with sunnier looks on their faces.
/
20 minutes later…
Everyone had finished their yummy marshmallow dessert and they were now relaxing in their chairs to allow their stomachs to settle. Mikey, on the other hand, was starting to fall asleep in his chair since his exciting time in the forest whilst walking on an injured leg has really worn him out.
"Mikey, ya doin' ok over there?" Raph asked after noticing that his baby brother was drifting off.
"Huh? Oh, yeah…m'fine…" Mikey answered tiredly before letting out a yawn.
"Mmm, I think it's bedtime for you, little brother…" Leo said with a warm smile after seeing how tired Mikey looked.
"Well, I don't blame him for being so sleepy; seeing our old friends in the forest again whilst walking with a bullet wound can really make you tired…Besides, I'm starting to nod off myself..." Donnie explained before he too let out a yawn, stood up from his chair, and walked over to Mikey as he spoke again.
"Come on, Mikey…Let's go to bed…"
"Mmm…" Mikey answered with a tired hum before Donnie helped him stand back up.
"Goodnight, you two…!" April and Casey said softly as they waved goodnight to the two younger turtles.
"Goodnight, Mikey! Goodnight, Donnie!" Leo said called out softly.
"Yeah, see ya in da mornin', bros…" Raph then said with a soft smirk.
"G'night…!" Donnie and Mikey replied in unison before they made their way towards their tent to head for bed.
"Well, I think we should call it a night, too…" Leo said as he got up and stretched his tired body.
"Yeah, our last sleep at camp…Can't believe how fast dis trip has gone…" Casey said with a slightly sad tone in his voice as he too got up from his seat.
"I know…but don't worry; we're definitely doing this again in the near future…!" April reassured her husband as she wrapped her arms around his muscly arm.
The others nodded in agreement to that as Casey put out the fire before they all walked towards their respective tents, said goodnight to each other, and went inside to sleep.